Tarnished and Torn: A Witchcraft Mystery

Lily Ivory is a witch and owner of a vintage store called Aunt Cora’s Closet. In her time in San Francisco she’s gotten into plenty of trouble. However trouble is heading her way like never before. This time in the form of her father and what could likely be a fire demon!! It all starts innocently enough when she goes to a fair and meets a German lady selling antique jewellery. She’s interested in what she has to offer and suspects that she might also be a witch. Her suspicions are confirmed when the lady turns up dead, pressed between wood with cinder blocks on top. The “pressing” is a old form of torture against witches, which Lily has only heard of. Due to the nature of her death, Detective Carlos calls on Lily to help out and this starts one adventure that Lily nor her friends will forget in a hurry.I fell in love with this series when I first read Secondhand Spirits. I love Lily as she not just tries to solve mysteries, but also learns what it is like to live in San Francisco and have friends nearby. She was shunned from her own mother and her hometown for being a witch. However her life in San Francisco is pretty great… well except for the murders and the fact that her one-time lover, Sailor, has disappeared.What I love the most about Tarnished and Torn and this series as a whole, is it is never dull and boring. There is always a lot happening but Juliet Blackwell doesn’t leave readers lost and unable to connect the dots. It is more than just a cozy mystery, with the paranormal elements and more-than-meets-the-eye characters. In Tarnished and Torn we finally meet Lily’s father, who abandoned her as a baby. We discover more about their relationship (or lack there of) and perhaps more about how Aidan feels about Lily. Fans of this series will definitely enjoy some of the sub-plots that have continued on from the previous books.For me, Xe Sands is the voice of this series. Her portrayal of the characters is beyond amazing. I particularly love the depth she gives to Lily’s familiar, Oscar. Oscar is part gargoyle, part goblin and appears a pot-bellied pig. His suggestion on how to solve the case was to hire Miss Marple, and is aghast to find out that she doesn’t exist and is made up! This scene alone had my laughing until I cried!! After having experienced the previous books as audiobooks I know I will definitely be continuing on with the series in audiobook format only. I wouldn’t hesitate recommend this series to mystery fans and also paranormal fans. It’s not one to be missed!

I really love the Witchcraft Mystery series by Juliet Blackwell. Lily Ivory is a great leading lady and she has a terrific bunch of friends that have her back in her newly adopted home of San Fransisco. Lily owns a vintage clothing store in The Haight neighborhood. She is friends with a coven of witches, but is a solo practitioner, except for her familiar Oscar (who most people see in the form of a pot bellied pig).This book finds Lily trying to figure out if there is a demon on the loose in San Francisco. A practitioner is murdered at a gem show, San Fransisco is experiencing an unusual heat wave, and her estranged father has appeared in town. To add to the worry, Aidan Rhodes, the guy normally kind of in charge of the witchy stuff, has been incommunicado, and Lily has a lot on her plate.This was a fast paced mystery, and fun to read after my own recent trip to San Francisco.I recommend this book and series to fans of other magical mysteries, or fans of vintage clothing.

Lily gets a lot more than she bargained for in Tarnished and Torn.There is trouble brewing in San Fran. Someone is picking off people Salem witch hunt style and leaving anti-witch devices all over town. The latest casualty is murdered at the gem fair right after shoving a box of junk jewelry at Lily and Lily encounters a mystery man who looks out of place at the fair. Lily also There is also a new cult of fire dancers that have shown up led by a sinister individual. His appearance, since she's seen him before, and the ritualistic ways of his fire dancers has Lily alarmed - especially when one of Lily's friends gets caught up in the dancing.While the cult and the death keep Lily occupied she gets the biggest surprise of her life - her estranged father shows up in town. The goings on around Lily must be connected but she's not sure how or why. Aidan is mysteriously absent all of a sudden and since Sailor has been banished from the city, Lily finds that she's all alone in trying to figure out what is going on.The Witchcraft Mystery series is an excellent addition the the cozy genre. Lily is a witch with a less than happy past. She is forced to confront one of the reasons for that in Tarnished and Torn. Her father unexpectedly arrives into town escalating Lily's emotions to a whole new level. We learn a bit more about her past along the way, too. Lily discovers that the events at the gem fair may not be a random attack, especially when she starts being followed by two strangers. It's up to her to figure out why the attack happened, why the anti-witch devices are being planted, if her father's involved, who the fire dancers really are, and if and how it's all related.I'm not into witchcraft so don't criticize me please, but I think her incorporation of all things magical in the series is done quite well.A very enjoyable addition to the series.Review Copy Courtesy Of: My Bookshelf

Another good read from Juliet Blackwell. I have enjoyed all of this series where she has developed some very good characters. The Haunted House series is also very good. I am awaiting the latest book in that series "Home for the Haunting" to be available in Kindle, only available in paperback so far.

I love these books, not least because I get to read about San Francisco where I would love to visit. In this book Lily encounters Demons in pursuit of a magical opal, and encounters her errant father after many years. Fans of the series will no doubt be pleased a certain moody gentleman is back, too.

Juliet Blackwell gives you another fabulous book in this series such a great read i would recommend for an escape

If only I could give 6 stars! My favourite besides A Vision in Velvet. the story is great, the suspence high

Just brill an can't wait for the next installment. I loved all the characters and hated all the baddies cheered when they were expunged.